Are they being recognised as refugees?
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The process by which PNG decided if a person was a refugee lacked many safeguards.
For example, it did not include the right to choose one’s lawyer or the right to the information needed to ensure independent and fair decision-making. It was also complex and opaque.
Despite these concerns, the last time the Department of Home Affairs reported on the percentage of final decisions made after review (31 October 2017), 74% of people had been recongised as refugees.
These overall statistics are no longer being reported. Instead, the Department reports the statistics relating to people who are still in Nauru. Since 31 December 2021, it no longer reports the refugee status of those in PNG on the basis that this agreement has ended.
As the below graphs show, most people still in those countries have been recognised as refugees.
